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Rohan Dennis retains world TT title in Harrogate (picture Simon Wilksinson, SWPix.com).JPG

Welcome to Wednesday's Live Blog with Liam Cahill, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team.

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Live blog: 

26/09/2019, 16:15

rohan dennis bike Picture by Alex Broadway:SWpix.com_

What’s going on with Rohan Dennis and his bike choice at the World Championships (and his helmet too)?

We investigate what the hell is going on with Rohan Dennis riding a BMC time trial bike rather then the Merida of this team Bahrain-Merida's sponsor. 

Read more here. 

25/09/2019, 19:54

Rohan Dennis ditches team sponsors' bike and helmet to retain world TT title

Any doubt that Rohan Dennis has burnt his bridges with Bahrain-Merida – his last race for them was when he disappeared mid-stage at the Tour de France on the eve of the individual time trial in Pau – dissipated today when he rode a BMC Timemachine bike and sported a Kask helmet as he retained his time trial title at the UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire this afternoon.

Merida, of course, are the UCI WorldTour outfit’s bike sponsor, while Rudy Project supplies its helmets and eyewear. But the ex-BMC Racing rider – who rode its Timemachine to the rainbow jersey in Innsbruck 12 months ago – stuck with the same model of bike, without decals but fooling absolutely no-one – as he triumphed in Harrogate this afternoon.

That’s given rise to a rather unusual situation in which Bahrain-Merida have not acknowledged one of their riders winning a rainbow jersey this afternoon (it’s pretty safe to say that the Australian will be elsewhere next year), their last tweet being to wish Antonio Nibali, also on his way out as he heads to Trek-Segafredo with brother Vincenzo, a happy birthday on Monday.

Meanwhile, over on BMC’s Instagram account …

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

We congratulate @rohandennis on his second Time Trial World Champion title! #Ride_BMC #BMCTimemachine

A post shared by BMC Switzerland (@ride_bmc) on

25/09/2019, 19:16

The Mounties always get their … cycling husky?!

The Mounties always get their man, according to the saying – and now they’ve also collared a cycling husky. Or more accurately, a person riding a bike dressed in a dog costume.

Cycling husky

CBC reports that after a husky mascot outfit was stolen from the Prince George Humane Society animal charity earlier this month, there have been a number of sightings in Prince George, British Columbia, of someone wearing the costume while riding a bike in the city.

Susan Phillips, a local schoolteacher who spotted the canine cyclist and hadn't realised the costume had been stolen, told CBC: "I thought of Wile E. Coyote. This is downtown Prince George. You never know what you're going to see. So I smiled and kept driving.”

The outfit for the charity’s mascot – named Chance, and who appears at events to help raise funds for it – would cost between $3,000 and $5,000 to replace, but public sightings helped the Royal Canadian Mounted Police track it down on Sunday.

RCMP Corporal Sonja Blom said: "A female was arrested at that time; however, she has been released without charge pending further investigation."

25/09/2019, 18:57

Yorkshire- rainbow country!

25/09/2019, 16:15

When your mum and dad have both won the rainbow jersey ...

Rohan Dennis and wife Melissa Hoskins' son wasn't born when his dad won the world championship time trial in Innsbruck last year - but he was there in his mum's arms as dad crossed the line to retain his title in Harrogate this afternoon.

Rohan Dennis and family (picture credit Simon Wilkinson, SWPix.com).JPG

Besides the two world championship golds Dennis has won on the road, he also has a brace on the track, both of those in the team pursuit - an event in which Hoskins, who has six silver and bronze medals from the worlds herself, won her own rainbow jersey in 2015.

Anyone want to bet against the nipper earning one in his own right in 20 or so years' time?

25/09/2019, 15:48

Rohan Dennis switches back to former team's bike and retains World TT title

Rohan Dennis, who abandoned the Tour de France mid-stage on the eve of the individual time trial, reportedly in a row with his Bahrain-Merida team over his equipment and specifically his time trial bike, switched back to a (unbranded) BMC Timemachine today - the same bike he used to win the world title last in Innsbruck last year - and retained the rainbow jersey.

Rohan Dennis at Yorkshire 2019 TT start (picture Allan McKenzie SWPix.com).JPG

The Australian, who has not ridden for Bahrain-Merida since then, finished 1 minute 9 seconds ahead of Belgium's Remco Evenepoel after the 54-kilometre ride from Northallerton to Harrogate.

Filippo Ganna of Italy was another 46 seconds back in the bronze medal position, while Great Britain's Alex Dowsett finished fifth, 2 minutes 2 seconds behind the winner.

25/09/2019, 15:21

Contador rides Yorkshire worlds course (virtually)

Here's Alberto Contador casually throwing down some serious watts in Zwift.

25/09/2019, 15:21

25/09/2019, 14:30

Evenepoel isn't a fan of the UCI sock rules then

Immediately after rolling down the start ramp, young Belgian phenomenon Remco Evenepoel showed just what he thought of the UCI's sock length rule.

Will this get him in trouble? UCI commissaires are famously liberal when handing out the fines. 

25/09/2019, 10:40

It's stopped raining in Yorkshire! For now

The standing water is receding so hopefully, we shouldn't have the farcical scenes of yesterday. 

At least everyone's socks are at the correct length...

25/09/2019, 09:35

Dennis to race TT on blank BMC bike?

After a very public falling out with his Bahrain-Merida team at this year's Tour de France, defending TT World Champion Rohan Dennis is rumoured to be using a BMC TT bike with no logos for his title defence in Yorkshire.

Rohan Dennis' Merida Time Warp TT bike - the bike we didn't see at the TdF

The falling out was apparently due to equipment issues which centred around the frame, skinsuit and wheels that Bahrain-Merida provided Dennis.

What was behind Rohan Dennis' "reluctant" withdrawal from the Tour de France?

We'll be keeping a close eye on the race, which kicks off at 13:20.

 

25/09/2019, 08:59

When the mud's so thick, it takes your shoe.

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I raced my first World Cup on Sunday at @trekcxcup, but unfortunately I had to do 2 of 3 laps with one shoe. Despite being one of the last call-ups, my race started well, and I found myself sandwiched between some of my cyclocross idols, @jolandaneff, @katiefncompton, @ellenlikesbikes. But at the end of lap one, another rider crashed into me, breaking the BOA buckle off my shoe. It was not long before the shoe itself fell off in the mud, followed later by the sock. As it was a World Cup and @usacycling had given me this great opportunity, I wasn't going to quit, no matter how bad those run-ups, flyovers and descents were with a bare foot. The spectators cheering me on really kept me going. To whomever yelled, “you are my hero!" as I limped by in the mud with my barefoot, you have no idea how much that helped! Thanks to the guy from @trekbikes who found my shoe with my custom orthothotics still in it. Thanks to the medical staff for pulling the thorn out of my foot after the race. Thanks to @usacycling and @jessedanthony for the opportunity and to my team @eastongianttlc and mechanic @revay_g for all the support. To paraphrase my teammate @jennjackkson, "For you to finish your first World Cup on the lead lap, in the points and in the money with one shoe is pretty phenomenal." Thanks, Jenn, for putting it all in perspective. I am sad, though, about losing my favorite sock. . . . . . @Giantbicycles @giantbicyclecanada @garneau @eastoncycling @tlccycling @cyclesmartinc @teamisocentric @stillwatermedicalcenter @100percent_bike @actionsportscanopies @orangesealed @aspencoffeefs @crankbrothers @sdgcomponents @kmcchain @vittoriatires @feedbacksports @allstate @tnr_tape @robertaxleproject #ridelife #ridegiant #mytcx #eastonadvantage #GarneauCustom #RideSDG #rideingoodcompany #Vittoriatires #weridecb #kmcchain #ride100percent #feedbacksport #irideorange #orangesealed #robertaxleproject #tnrtape #thecyclesmartway #ShadeRedefined #teamisoceontric #tlccx #cyclocross #cycling #cx #trekcxcup #womenscycling #ridelikeagirl #telenetuciwc #waterloo #mud

A post shared by Bridget Tooley (@bridgettooley) on

American Pro Bridget Tooley was racing the UCI World Cup Cyclocross in Waterloo on Sunday. Things didn't exactly go to plan when a crash saw her BOA shoe dial break.

The heavy mud first removed the shoe and then took her sock as well. That left her to ride on an MTB spd pedal barefoot! Ouch...

The shoe was retrieved, but sadly, the sock is still buried.

25/09/2019, 08:19

Dygart demolishes Women's TT and beats most of the U23 men too

Chloe Dygart stormed around the Women's Elite time trial in Yorkshire yesterday, beating the second-place rider, Holland's Anna van der Breggen, by a colossal 1  minute 32 seconds.

It's the largest winning margin in a World Championship time trial since Fabian Cancellara beat Gustav Larsson in 2009 by 1 minute 27 seconds.

As UK Pro Jacob Tipper points out. Dygart's time would have netted her 12th in the U23 Men's race earlier in the day. 

25/09/2019, 08:13

Do you still commute in the rain?

Yes, this is the one thing about travelling by bike that isn't so great. If it's raining, it's going to be hitting you.

But as this post shows, in yesterday's biblical rain, numbers on Embankment were still pretty high!

So, what's your secret to commuting by bike in the rain?

Pop your helpful hints and any product recommendations in the comments below and we'll find a pair of road.cc socks for the best/most helpful answer.

Liam Cahill

Son of a Marathon runner, Nephew of a National 24hr Champion, the racing genetics have completely passed him by. After joining the road.cc staff in 2016 as a reviewer, Liam quickly started writing feature articles and news pieces. After a little time living in Canada, where he spent most of his time eating poutine, Liam returned with the launch of DealClincher, taking over the Editor role at the start of 2018. At the weekend, Liam can be found racing on the road both in the UK and abroad, though he prefers the muddy fields of cyclocross. To date, his biggest race win is to the front of the cafe queue.